In Norse myths, the relationship between gods and giants is a central theme and can be seen as two opposing power groups. The myths describe and express the contradictions and interplay between them, which forms a central theme in mythology. The gods have a sustaining, creating and ordering function and function with their patterns of action as prototypical actors. Giants are an older group that constantly seek to overthrow the supremacy, power and creations of the gods. In this respect, giants can be interpreted as forces of chaos, but their image is not done justice by such a categorical classification; it is more ambivalent. Giants are not solely destructive and they are often associated with an origin of something, with the most famous example being how the world is formed by the body of Ymer. The gods are not omnipotent and seek out the realms of the giants to gain knowledge of things hidden from them or to exploit resources beyond their direct control. The gods are prominent in creation myths but cannot create ex nihilo - they shape or recreate something already existing, which can be likened to the role of the craftsman, the poet or the artist. The gains the gods make are that they subdue, extract and conquer creative energies that exist in the giants, it can be knowledge (e.g. runes, cosmological knowledge) or a power-charged object (e.g. skaldic mead, Thor's belt of strength) which in the hands of the gods becomes useful to man. Giants as "the other" is a common thread that is followed in the thesis.